Madison Thacker is an ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chaparral High School for AZPreps365.com. 

Not much older than the players on the team at the time, Robyn Carlson become the head
coach for Chaparral’s new girls soccer program in 1995. And that was just the beginning of the
creation of a dynasty.

In 26 years since, Carlson has led the Firebirds to seven state titles and has won the Arizona High School Coach of the Year four times.

“I came in and I just wanted to have that enjoyment for them to have fun but to also work hard,” Carlson said. “And I think over the years that’s what I’ve really learned. With club, it’s a grind and when you come to play high school, you’re playing with all different years and you’re learning from everyone and I thought the most important thing is for them to just believe in each other and have fun.”

Over the years, Carlson has focused on team bonding beyond just the soccer field. The team gathers for pasta nights throughout the beginning of the season, each one hosted by a different teammate each night.

Carlson, as a woman and a mother herself, relates to her young players and helps them cope with what they go through during their high school years based on her own experiences.  

“It’s an interesting relationship because she’s more than a coach to us,” senior captain Delaney Penn said. “It’s more of a family. She helps us along with not only soccer but just life in general. She relates to us one on one, and if we’re going through something off the field she’ll come and check on us just because she knows what it is like to raise two daughters and know what we go through in high school.”

Each year, Carlson is dealt new players that complement each other in different ways. Carlson brings the team together by prioritizing bonding over winning.

“I’m a big believer that it has to be everyone,” Carlson said. “You can have star players on your team, but they can only do so much. It has to be collectively everybody on the team. I really try and instill that with the girls each game and each practice.”

By providing each player with constructive criticism on the field, Carlson gives them the confidence to play their best, detailing exactly how to correct their mistakes on the field.  

As a teacher, Carlson reiterates to the team each year that soccer is a close second to their work in the classroom. 

“She’ll help you in the classroom and on the field. Wherever you need to improve, she’s there to help you,” senior defender Lainey Gomez said. 

Although Carlson rarely raises her voice at them, the players think of her like a second mom and feel comforted by her even in tough, frustrating moments. 

And for her two daughters on the team, sophomore Mikaela and senior Lauren, they grew up on the sidelines watching their mom build the program. 

“It’s funny, I’ve been here so long, and they were little on the sidelines when I was coaching back then, and now they are playing for Chaparral,” Carlson said. “It’s probably harder for them but for me it’s super special and I know down the road they’ll appreciate it as well. They’re awesome and I’m so proud of them.” 

The feeling is mutual. Carlson has been an inspiration to her daughters. 

“Having a woman as a coach is very inspiring for me at least,” Lauren said. “To see all the amazing things she has accomplished and how she’s brought this program to where it is now. She’s won seven state championships and just that in general and being a woman and being a coach and being able to do something like that is really inspiring.” 

The Firebirds fell short of a state championship this year but come up big every year with Carlson as their coach.

“She’s unlike any coach I’ve ever had. She’s really caring and understanding,” sophomore Sami Fisher said. “The culture and family bond she has created is unlike anything you’ll ever see.”